COVID-19 sidelines Cottonwood High School Girls Varsity Soccer team

MURRAY, Utah – A player on the Cottonwood High School Girls Varsity Soccer team was exposed to COVID-19, forcing players on both her team and Murray High’s squad to temporarily quarantine. 

The girl’s family says she didn’t know she had come into contact with a relative who had COVID-19 when she suited up against Murray High School in a game last week. 

That’s until local contact tracers got in touch with both soccer teams on August 14th to let them know about the exposure to COVID-19 on the Cottonwood High School Girls Varsity Soccer team. 

Murray High School made its team quarantine, though Salt Lake County Health Department spokesman Nicholas Rupp said they were informed a day later that that was unnecessary because it was a secondary exposure. 

“People who were on the Cottonwood High School Girls Varsity Soccer team, they were all in contact with a confirmed [exposure]…so they are all quarantined. But people who have been in contact with those other players, they don’t need to do anything special,” Rupp said.   

Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley said coaches and teams have strict protocols to keep everyone safe on the field. For example, there are temperature checks, and players have to say if they’ve come into contact with anyone who has COVID-19. 

“Unfortunately, we were in a situation wherein a player who had had exposure came and participated in some of our activities,” Horsley said.   

Because of the quarantine, Cottonwood High School had to postpone two games and cancel several practices. The team’s quarantine will end on Sunday.

The health department and the Cottonwood High School also sent out letters to families reminding them to follow all COVID-19 protocols.